how exactly can you determine what sort of a sprinter an athlete is? I've seen the terms pusher and puller used to categorise sprinters. Most sprinters would dispaly elements of both these traits. Could there be other categories?

Realistically, most people fall somewhere on a sliding scale relative to these biases, but some will show a marked preference toward one or another.

A good way to start figuring out what someone is best at is to simply ask them. Do they prefer to squat or deadlift? Push a prowler or pull a sled? Do they look coordinated doing double leg jumps? How about single leg jumps?Do they throw a shot much further when tossing it backwards, or are they better at tossing it forward?

Some athletes might be able to absorb vertical forces better, so they can sort of bounce their way down the track with ease. Others will collapse upon ground contact. Some may have somewhat of a lateral bias, whereas others have a linear bias.

Pusher seems to describe me perfectly as in the good start and then it looks like I'm falling at the end of the race. Does being a pusher alter the way I should be training? These are words I've heard but never fully understood